Germany

Where does one even start with this incredible story- over the past few years we seem to have accumulated a little herd of elderly grey mare ponies. All the same size, all with big personalities, all with the same story, abandoned for one reason or another.
But these 3 amigos will stay in our minds and our hearts for a lifetime. Introducing- Cassie, Dottie and Faith, three girls from 3 different parts of Ireland, who made their way to us here at HHO, they are older ladies ranging from about 14-17, they were here quite a while but we noticed the three stuck together, where there was one, you would be sure to find the three of them, they happily lived in each others company. When they were not rolling in muck- they had an air of elegance, flowing manes, gentle personalities, almost aging with dignity and a lifetime of stories to tell, with just enough attitude to let us know they were full of their own importance, they affectionately became known as the “princesses” to us here at HHO.

Each and every rescue horse has it’s own story to tell. Delilah’s story was one of the most heart breaking , angering and distressful we have ever experienced. To understand, you have to feel the scene. In winter 2016, we got a call about a field of horses, no food, no water, no care. With every passing day another passed away, another statistic. Upon arriving at the field we could see the urgency and action needed to be taken now. Bones scattered the area, walking further and further in we were met with decomposing carcasses, young horses, old horses all shapes and sizes, all succumbed to the same fate.
As we looked around we set about rescuing the living ones, no easy task in such a sparce area but we perservered and managed to get the remaining 9, weak, weary, shaking with cold and hunger we loaded them one by one, mammys and babies, youngsters and older ladies all made as cosy as possible on the lorry. We were afraid of the journey so a snail’s pace back to longford, there was no choice, we couldn’t leave them in what could only be described as a graveyard.
The next week is one that will haunt us all at hungry horse, an endless round of lifting weak horses, 5 in total, helping them get their footing, willing them to fight. Fight back and to see the future but sadly for these 5, that future wasn’t to be. More tears were cried during their time at HHO than we ever thought possible. We’re not easily shocked, or startled, we’ve seen things that we never believed we would but one by One, we lost them, we were too late.
And then there were 4, scrawny, hungry, saddened horses reaching to us to help them. So we swallowed out tears and put the horrors behind us and kept it together for their sake. Delilah being one of them, we distinctly remember watching Delilah and saying ‘at least she ia not in as bad a state as the others, she will make it’ and as those words lingered in the air a sudden realisation dawned on us- why were we accepting this? We shouldn’t be drawing comparisons to her comrades, here In front of us stood a mare, who you could count every Rib, her back bone protruding, covered in rain rash, yet we had said ‘at least she’s not as bad as the others’- despite everything that had happened a new anger boiled inside us, for Delilah and her remaining companions, these horses should have had the world at their feet but they were left to rot and die.
Luckily Delilah and her remaining friends began to thrive, with good care and some compassion. Soon we hardly recognised them, their lifelessness only a distant memory, day in day out they were stronger until the day each one of them went home.
Home to their families, the hell they went through just a distant memory. As we loaded Delilah on to a lorry Germany bound, we couldn’t help but be proud of her, after everything, she oozed with confidence, her trusting nature a testament to the mare she always was, even when she was suffering so badly. Delilah left us over a year ago now, she settled in to her home and gives great joy to her family, we can’t help but smile when we get sent photos of our girls new life- being the princess we always knew she was.

To tell HHO Mystery’s story, we need to step back to the summer of 2014. The summer started the same as every other, watching for the grass to start growing, almost measuring it to see when there was a sufficient amount of fresh grass to allow our ever growing herd out, and the day came! There is nothing quite like the joy when we begin the annual great escape, the fun and frollocks of the ponies when they hit that fresh grass after being confined all winter long, the wet, windy, cold days just a memory.
So each year we come up with a plan, we divide our herd in to groups, our boys in one place, our girls in another, our mares in foal, our yearlings and so on. Day by day we start letting them out to their designated spot.

Whilst checking our cob group one morning, something just doesn’t look right, walking through them, looking at all their little faces, something is puzzling us. We were sure we only had 8 in this field, counting again and again there was 9. This surely warrants a closer examination, standing in the middle of these cobs, a little face lifts from the grass, one we hadn’t seen before. A frail and wobbly little girl, a sad little face, a face that told the tale of a whole winters suffering. Still puzzled by how she got there, who she was, this is the moment when you ask “are we actually losing the plot?, How could we not know this pony?”. Then as the cogs inside our heads start turning we realise she had been put there purposely, for us to find. Thus gave rise to a very fitting name HHO Mystery.

From that day to this, no one ever called us enquiring about her, no one ever reported her missing, no one ever even cared if she lived or died. But she did live- and she blossomed and grew and fitted in to life at HHO with her new found herd. Her character developed, her passion for life shone through and suddenly she wasn’t the mystery cob anymore she was just Mystery.

Mystery stayed with HHO a little over a year, where she was overlooked time and time again, no one seemed to want this beautiful little girl, but lone behold- Mystery’s Miracle happened. A family from Germany fell in love with our girl and asked to bring her home and just like that she left us for her new life.

From unwanted to wow! Look how fantastic she looks now? Loved, this is what dreams are made of, 3 years at home, full of love and security.

A HHO family reunion in Germany- Molly Dana, Sadie and Murphy all meet again, and they are so happy to be reunited.
We love following their lives after HHO!

We’ve had another busy week at HHO but a journey has finally come to an end for another 10 of Ireland’s Forgotten

Last Friday we packed little suitcases and waved goodbye, to Twinkle, Shannon, Sparky, Rubble, Eddie, Menthos, Spirit, Angelina as well as Forgotten Dory and Forgotten Maeve.
We’re incredibly proud to have had a small part to play in their journey home, to be but a stepping stone for them, between their past and their new families.

They reached their new families over the past few days in Germany and Austria and we couldn’t be prouder of our little army taking on Europe. Each one with a tragic story of their own, cast aside in favor of a new life.

Good luck our little pets and we’ll be watching as always

As many of you are aware HHO run an extremely successful European Rehoming Programme for Ireland’s unwanted, forgotten, abandoned and abused equines. Well, some of our European supporters have read of the fodder crisis in Ireland and the rising costs of hay and haylage. It’s creeping higher than it has been in years.

After us posting several times about struggling to source and indeed pay for fodder for our 150 plus ponies, Richy took it upon herself to fundraise, order and organize delivery of a full lorry load of Haylage for the HHO ponies. The reality is we use six to seven bales a day, some weeks more due to our external feeding programme, almost a lorry load a week, this lorry load cost €2000 and will last the ponies hopefully 9-10 days, you can only imagine the pressure we feel to keep fodder stocked. €2000 euro every 10 days…. so you can only imagine how excited and grateful we were to Richy for organizing and fundraising this load.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported Richy’s campaign, we are totally overwhelmed by your support. Such practical and desperately needed help and to have Richy and friends fly from Germany to oversee the delivery has been amazing. We always, always, always need projects like this so if you would like to really help why not consider doing the same thing??

Thanks Again Guys

Hanora writes her final HHO Chapter

Hello Everyone,

Some of you may remember me from some years back and will be very familiar with my story. Others will be newer followers so we’ll take a little walk down memory lane for a few moments. For those of you who don’t know me my name is Hanora. I met the ladies and gentlemen at HHO over 3 years ago now. On one August morning that turned my life around. I was once abused, neglected and unwanted.

A makeshift halter embedded in my nose I could scarcely remember a day without it. It sat there sinking in to my skin for years so much so it completely deformed my face and it was massively infected, I could smell it. Maggots festered inside my open wounds and at times I thought I had died and gone straight to hell. The constant agony, the constant reminder I was worthless, my so called owner did not even have the decency to try and remove this halter. I was suffering so visibly for years.

But then I met the HHO team, to this day I still see the sympathy in their eyes, I remember the tears and the nights they sat up talking to me, uttering apologies that they didn’t find me sooner. The worst thing is I know they were trying to help me but at times treating my injuries was sometimes a little sore or stingy and at times I ran away from them only to give in eventually.

For the first time in so long humans treated me with respect, they gave me my dignity back, I could eat again, I could enjoy life with no worries. I soon settled in to my life at HHO, it was security, comforting and I always got the special treatment. I suppose a little like a VIP. They’d say things like ‘Ah it’s Hanora, she’s an old lady, she can do what she likes’ or ‘ah it’s Hanora of course, if she wants the sweetest grass (the lawn) she can have it’ or my personal favorite ‘ah Hanora doesn’t have to do anything just be Happy’ I took this last one to heart and I enjoyed every second of my life. I especially liked the times I chose to be happy by galloping around the fields like a race horse in the lashing rain while the poor clowns stood watching me and calling me, I can still hear it ‘ah Hanora would you not just come in’. Between you and me it’s the little things that count and I always knew they would wait for me. I’d never be forgotten again.

So a little time past and they told me at HHO they found a very special foster home, maybe even one I could live out my days in, being just that little bit older. I was happy there, the endless supply of carrots and apples kept me ticking over nicely. But sadly to finish my life there wasn’t to be. My foster mother was quite elderly too and sadly she could no longer look after me so I came home. Home to HHO and it was settled I would retire there, I’d hang out with the oldies and sure we’d kick up our heels and we’d always have a roof over our little grey heads. You’ll never believe what happened next?? I got a permanent home offer. One I can actually live out my days in, a family of my own. I can do as I please as I have grown so fond of doing. I’m a pensioner I don’t have to please anyone.

I left HHO today and as I walked to the horse lorry I could see their faces a mix of disbelief, pride and sadness. Their old lady leaving them. I think I even saw a tear or two (this isn’t fully confirmed) but I definitely heard ‘i can’t believe this’ repeatedly spoken.

So I make my final trip to what I can finally call my home, in Germany if you don’t mind! The vet said I’m very well and healthy and when I saw that ramp I jumped on it like a pony half my age, gosh I was delighted with myself and of course sure they had to tell the big Hanora story to the driver and anyone else that would listen. Finally my happy ending has come. I can tell those who I left behind are nervous and excited and will be on tender hooks until they hear I’m home safely. It’s nice to be loved and it’s nice to know at least some people will miss me.

Tonight as a whole new chapter begins for me, I take a little bit of HHO with me in my heart and I know I leave a huge chunk of Hanora in all the hearts of the people at HHO, I know they’ll be watching and I know they’ll continue to walk my journey with me.

Goodbye to you all, I’ll send you an update or two from my awesome new home with little Annie (sure she’s nearly as old as me), we’re a bit excited.

Love Hanora

Goodbye our dear friend we’ll never ever ever forget you, you have brought light even on the darkest days. We’ll be missing you but we’re so proud and so happy for you our little dear. We’ll see you soon and safe travels – HHO

It doesn’t seem so long ago we were reporting about a little 6 week old foal being thrown over our wall. So fragile and small, needing round the clock care and his little body battered and bruised from the impact.

It’s hard to believe that over a year has passed and our little Maple has blossomed in to a stunning young man, full of happiness and confidence. Loving each day of his life. Maple immediately captured all our hearts at HHO, he was the little one who no matter how your day was brought a smile to our faces.When Maple recovered and was strong enough he was offered for adoption and his perfect family found him.
Maple left us just over 3 weeks ago and we think you’ll agree he seems to have found his hooves with Isabel and her family in Germany.

We’re so proud of how far he has come and we look forward to watching him develop over the coming years. Every late night and bottle feed was worth it.